[rating=1.00]
Our Own Time is the second album from New York City’s Tiny Animals. A mainstream power-pop trio from New York City the band has gained notoriety through placement on MTV shows Jersey Shore, 16 and Pregnant, and The Real World. Strong reviews of their live show at last year’s Bonnaroo created a buzz for the band that remains with North Street Records.
Our Own Time is most definitely a pop album full of angsty laments, and clean, straightforward playing. The band seems to be banking on their ability to write memorable hooks for teenagers and young adults falling in and out of love but its hard to get very excited about the results. There is nothing wrong with the execution of the songs its just the songs themselves simply sound bland. Lacking much character this music is easy to digest but feels hollow inside. A band like Buffalo Tom was able to pull this type of music off with much more feeling when they were buzz worthy on MTV in 1993. Our Own Time’s lead single “Wait for Me” seems radio ready for thirteen year olds with punchy, rollicking drums, a razor sharp arrangement and a hook that sounds better in solo piano form at the end of the song then it does buried underneath studio accouterments.
It isn’t any surprise that today’s MTV has picked up the band. The songs on Our Own Time have enough accessibility and hooks to survive just long enough in a world of tenth grade attention spans, quick edits and dramatic Jersey Shore moments. “Nah Nah Nah” is syrupy sweet in its bombastic style and it’s literally followed up by a track called “Love Scene”. At least I know what to listen to the next time Sammie and Ronnie are fighting.
